The present invention relates to a wiring structure for a sunvisor.
In general, a sunvisor is, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, structured such that a horizontal shaft portion 3b of an L-shape pipe stay 3 having a vertical shaft portion 3a supported rotatively around the vertical shaft by a stay holder 2 joined to a roof panel 1 in a vehicle is inserted into a visor holder 5 of a sunvisor body 4. Thus, the sunvisor body 4 is supported may in a rotational direction around a horizontal shaft.
The sunvisor body 4 having a vanity mirror 6 is provided with a vanity lamp 7. When a cover (not shown) of the vanity mirror 6 is opened, a switch is switched on so that the vanity lamp 7 is turned on.
Ends of a pair of electric wires 8 are connected to the vanity lamp 7. The electric wires 8 are allowed to pass through the inside portion of the stay 3. A sunvisor-body-side connector 9 joined to other ends of the electric wires 8 is, in the roof panel 1, connected to a car-body-side connector 11 connected to an electric wire 10 extended from a battery. Thus, the battery in the car body and the vanity lamp 7 of the sunvisor body are electrically connected to each other.
When each rotational movement of the sunvisor body 4 around the horizontal shaft of the stay 3 and lateral movement (when the sunvisor is used ) of the sunvisor body 4 around the vertical shaft is performed, each of the electric wires 8 is twisted to permit the movement of the sunvisor body 4.
An operation for joining the stay holder 2, which supports the stay 3 of the sunvisor body 4, to the roof panel 1 is performed as follows: an operator holds the car-body-side connector 11 by either hand thereof while holding the sunvisor body 4 under the operator""s arm in a state in which the car-body-side connector 11 has been drawn into the car body through a joining hole la of the roof panel 1. Then, the sunvisor-body-side connector 9 is held by the other hand so that the sunvisor-body-side connector 9 and the car-body-side connector 11 are connected to each other. Then, the sunvisor-body-side connector 9 and the electric wires 8 are pushed inwards into the inside portion of the roof panel 1 through the joining hole la while the car-body-side connector 11 and the electric wire 10 are being pushed inwards into the inside portion of the roof panel 1 through the joining hole 1a. Then, the stay holder 2 is made contact with the roof panel 1 so as to be secured with screws.
The electric wires 8 of the vanity lamp 7, which must be allowed to pass through the L-shape stay 3, however, require a complicated operation for passing the electric wires. Since the sunvisor-body-side connector 9 must be connected to the other ends of the electric wires 8, also the operation for connecting the sunvisor-body-side connector becomes too complicated.
What is worse, the operator must connect the connectors 9 and 11 by the two hands while holding the sunvisor body 4 under the operator""s arm in a state in which the operator faces the roof portion. Therefore, the operation for connecting the connectors is too complicated. Since the electric wires 10 and 8 and the connectors 9 and 11 must be pushed inwards into the inside portion of the roof panel 1 through the joining hole 1a, the operation for joining the sunvisor becomes too complicated. As described above, there arise a variety of problems.
In general, a sunvisor is, shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, structured such that a horizontal shaft portion 3b of an L-shape pipe stay 3 having a vertical shaft portion 3a supported rotatively around the vertical shaft by a stay holder 2 joined to a roof panel 1 in a vehicle is inserted into a visor holder 5 of a sunvisor body 4. Thus, the sunvisor body 4 is supported movably in a rotational direction around a horizontal shaft.
To solve the foregoing problems experienced with the conventional technique, an object of the present invention is to provide a wiring structure for a sunvisor which is capable of simplifying a variety of operations required to electrically connect a battery in a car body and a vanity lamp of the sunvisor body to each other.
To solve the foregoing problems, according to aspect 1 of the present invention, there is provided a wiring structure for a sunvisor structured such that a horizontal shaft portion of an L-shape stay having a vertical shaft portion supported rotatively around a vertical shaft by a stay holder joined to a roof panel in a vehicle is inserted into a visor holder of a sunvisor body so that the sunvisor body is supported movably in a rotational direction around a horizontal shaft and the sunvisor body is provided with a vanity lamp, the wiring structure for a sunvisor comprising:
a bus bar for electrically connecting the vanity lamp of the sunvisor body and a battery in the car body to each other is insert-molded into the stay, and a male-terminal portion projects over each end of the vertical shaft and the horizontal shaft.
Since the present invention is structured such that the bus bar is insert-molded into the L-shape stay, a necessity for the conventional structure to pass the electric wires of the vanity lamp through the L-shape pipe stay can be eliminated. In the foregoing case, the operation for passing the electric wires can be omitted.
As in aspect 2, a sunvisor-side connector for accommodating a female terminal to which an electric wire of the vanity lamp is connected is joined to the visor holder of the sunvisor body such that rotation of the sunvisor connector around the horizontal shaft is permitted, and the male terminal portion of the horizontal shaft portion is engaged to the female terminal of the sunvisor-side connector when the horizontal shaft portion of the stay is inserted into the visor holder. In the foregoing case, when the operation for inserting the horizontal shaft portion of the stay is inserted into the visor holder is performed, the male terminal portion of the bus bar of the horizontal shaft portion can automatically be engaged to the female terminal of the sunvisor-side connector. Therefore, the operation for connecting the connectors can be omitted. When the sunvisor body is rotationally moved around the horizontal shaft, the sunvisor-side connector is rotated around the horizontal shaft. Thus, the rotational movement of the sunvisor body is permitted.
As in aspect 3, a car-body-side connector for accommodating the male terminal to which an electric wire of the battery is connected is joined to a car-body member in the roof panel such that rotation of the car-body-side connector around the vertical shaft is permitted, and the male terminal portion of the vertical shaft portion is engaged to the female terminal of the car-body-side connector when the stay holder which supports the vertical shaft portion of the stay is joined to the roof panel. In the foregoing case, when the operation for joining the stay holder, which supports the vertical shaft portion of the stay, to the roof panel is performed, the male terminal portion of the bus bar of the vertical shaft portion can automatically be joined to the female terminal of the car-body-side connector. Therefore, the operation for connecting the connectors can be omitted. As for the longitudinal movement of the sunvisor body around the vertical shaft, rotation of the car-body-side connector around the vertical shaft permits the longitudinal movement of the sunvisor body.
As in aspect 4, a register recess is formed in an end surface of the sunvisor-side connector, a register projection longer than the male terminal portion and projecting over the male terminal portion is formed on end surface of the horizontal shaft portion of the stay, and the register projection is engaged to the register recess when the horizontal shaft portion is inserted into the visor holder. Therefore, the male terminal portion of the horizontal shaft portion of the stay can smoothly be engaged to the female terminal of the sunvisor-side connector. Since the register projection is longer than the male terminal portion to project over the male terminal portion, the register projection serves as a guard to prevent undesirable breakage of the male terminal portion which has not been engaged.
As in aspect 5, a sleeve portion which has a length which is substantially the same as that of the male terminal is formed at each end surface of the vertical shaft portion and into which the car-body-side connector is inserted is provided for the stay holder for supporting the vertical shaft portion of the stay, and an axial-directional slit is formed in the sleeve portion. Since the sleeve portion has the length which is substantially the same as that of the male terminal portion, the sleeve portion serves as a guard to prevent undesirable breakage of the male terminal portion before the male terminal portion has not been engaged. Since the axial-directional slit is formed in the sleeve portion to have elasticity in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction, insertion of the car-body-side connector can smoothly be performed.
As in aspect 6, either of the register projection or register recess is provided for the end surface of the car-body-side connector, a residual one of the register projection or the register recess is provided for the end surface of the vertical shaft portion of the stay, and the register projection and the register recess are engaged to each other when the stay holder, which supports the vertical shaft portion, is joined to the roof panel. In the foregoing case, the male terminal portion of the vertical shaft portion can smoothly be engaged to the female terminal of the car-body-side connector.
As in aspect 7, the car-body member is provided with a connector holder which permits insertion and joining of the car-body-side connector from a direction perpendicular to the axial direction, and displacement of the car-body-side insertion portion of the connector holder in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction is permitted. In the foregoing case, the car-body-side connector can be joined to the connector holder which is the car-body member by a one-touch operation. Since the insertion portion permits displacement of the car-body-side connector in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction, an error from the male terminal portion of the vertical shaft portion of the stay occurring due to an assembling operation can be absorbed. As a result, the male terminal portion of the vertical shaft portion of the stay can smoothly be engaged.
As in aspect 8, an insertion portion is provided for the car-body member, and the connector holder is inserted and joined to the insertion portion. In the foregoing case, the connector holder and the car-body-side connector can be joined to the car-body member by a one-touch operation.
As in aspect 9, a slit is formed in the car-body-side-connector insertion portion of the connector holder, a rotation-stopping projection made contact with two side surface of the slit and arranged to stop rotation of the car-body-side connector at a connector joining position is formed on the side portion of the car-body-side connector, and the rotation-stopping projection is embedded such that the rotation-stopping projection is not made contact with the two side surfaces of the slit when the car-body-side connector has been inserted into the sleeve portion of the stay holder. In the foregoing case, unintentional rotation of the car-body-side connector around the vertical shaft before the engagement of the male terminal portion of the vertical shaft portion is engaged to the female terminal of the car-body-side connector can be prevented. Therefore, the male terminal portion of the vertical shaft portion of the stay can smoothly be engaged.
As in aspect 10, the slit also serves as an inserting slit for inserting the car-body-side connector into the car-body-side insertion portion. In the foregoing case, the car-body-side connector can easily and quickly be inserted into the connector holder.
Further, according to aspect 11 of the present invention, there is provided a wiring structure for a sunvisor structured such that a horizontal shaft portion of an L-shape stay having a vertical shaft portion supported rotatively around a vertical shaft by a stay holder joined to a roof panel in a vehicle is inserted into a visor holder of a sunvisor body so that the sunvisor body is supported movably in a rotational direction around a horizontal shaft and structured such that the sunvisor body is provided with a vanity lamp and an electric wire of the vanity lamp is passed through the stay so as to be connected to an electric wire extended from a battery on the car body, the sunvisor comprising:
a sunvisor-side connector integrally provided for the stay holder and arranged to accommodate a terminal to which the electric wire of the vanity lamp is connected; and
a car-body-side connector joined to a car-body member in the roof panel and arranged to accommodate a terminal to which the electric wire extended from the battery is connected, wherein when the stay holder which supports the vertical shaft portion of the stay is joined to the roof panel, the sunvisor-side connector is joined to the car-body-side connector.
The present invention is structured such that the sunvisor-side connector is integrally joined to the stay holder. The necessity of holding the sunvisor-side connector by the hand can be eliminated. Moreover, an operation for joining the stay holder to the roof panel can be performed such that the sunvisor-side connector is automatically joined to the car-body-side connector. Thus, the operation for connecting the connectors can be omitted.
As in aspect 12, the car-body member is provided with a connector holder which is capable of inserting the car-body-side connector from the axial direction to join the car-body-side connector such that rotation of the car-body-side connector is inhibited, and an insertion portion of the connector holder can be displaced in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction. In the foregoing case, the car-body-side connector can be joined to the connector holder of the car-body member by a one-touch operation. Moreover, the insertion portion permits displacement of the car-body-side connector in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction. Therefore, an error or the like from the sunvisor-side connector occurring when assembly is performed can be absorbed. Therefore, the sunvisor-side connector can smoothly be joined.
As in aspect 13, an insertion portion is provided for the car-body member, and the connector holder is inserted and joined to the insertion portion. In the foregoing case, the connector holder and the car-body-side connector can be joined to the car-body member by a one-touch operation.